James Edward Smith Sr. was born June 15, 1851 along the Big Horn River in Wyoming. He was the son of Thomas Washington Smith and Susan Reynolds. James Edward was a twin. His twin's name was Nancy Jane. She died when she was about twelve years old in 1863.

James was not idle as a lad. His father was a cattleman and also did freighting in a buckboard (vehicle drawn by horses) to get staples from Salt Lake City. His father also traveled to Washington, Utah to trade cattle for cloth and James helped his father in doing these things. Plus there were ditches to be dug for irrigation of their fields and garden. There were always morning and evening chores. He helped to get timber and saw logs to build homes, sheds and corrals.

James Edward learned how to pack and unpack their possessions as they moved from place to place. He had no formal education. He could barely write his name but you could not beat him with figures.

On arriving in Utah they lived in Provo for five years. Then he went with his father and family to Filmore to help settle that part of the country. The family didn't stay there long as they were called to help settle Washington County. Here James Edward married Mary Susan Stephens on July 4, 1869. She was born in Iowa on July 1, 1851. They were eighteen years old when they were married. They were first cousins. They later married in the Temple on September 5, 1877 for all eternity. They had twelve children.

They lived in Washington, Utah for several years and then moved to Pahreah, and lived there from 1874 until 1887. They lived in Henrieville from 1890 to 1899.

Mary Susan died April 9, 1899 of diabetes. She was buried at Henrieville. She had blue eyes and auburn hair. They were married for 30 years.

While living at Pahreah, Utah, James Edward went with Jacob Hamblin (the Indian Peace Maker) in 1874 to Help settle a war between the white settlers and the Navajos. It seems that the Indians stole all the milk cows and domestic animals. Nephi Smith and others also went along to get the animals back and to settle the uprising.

Nephi Smithwas the brother of Elizabeth Jennett Smith. Five years later James Edward and Elizabeth Jennett were married in the Saint George Temple, March 20, 1878, by a Brother McAllister; making James Edward a polygamist, having two wives. They had fifteen children.

Elizabeth lived at Pahreah until 1882, then moved to Arizona, back to Pahreah then to Henrieville. This moving around was due to the federal marshals after the men living in plural marriages. The Manifesto was given by the LDS Church President, Wilford Woodruff, in 1890 (putting an end to Plural Marriages).

James Edward and Mary Susan lived most of the time at the old Smith Ranch about seven miles above Henrieville.

These people were very sturdy rugged pioneers, just barely existing most of the time. He had a small farm on the north side of the road before crossing the Henrieville Wash heading toward town. He also had cattle and did allot of freighting, assisted by his son James Edward Jr. (Jim Ed). They would freight from here to the nearest train station and then on the return trip home they would bring freight from that station. They freighted all over the state of Arizona. He would take Allen, Mitchell and Jim Ed. The boys would harness the horses and take care of the wagons. They were so small that they had to boost each other on the horses to harness them, unhitch and fasten the reins. They would be gone on these freighting trips a week at a time.

James Edward would make a feather bed and chair combined and would sit up in the front of the wagon and lay his head back and rest it on the makeshift chair and ride along and doze for miles as his horses traveled down the road.

He was an expert woodsman. When he chopped down a tree he wasn't a fast worker but he made every lick count and he was very fussy about the notch, it had to be just right, he would not allow a sloppy job to be done.

He was a man who was at ease around anyone and he didn't fear any man. On one occasion there was a man who was just a little bit crazy and they had James Edward watching him. After the man had spent a little time with James Edward, the fellow grabbed an ax that was laying near by on the ground and shouted, "Jim, what would you do if I would get after you with this ax?" James Edward replied, "I would knock you down with this chair." The crazy man said, "That's just what I thought you would do." That was the end of that. James Edward never mistreated any man.

He was a very good judge of horses and he passed this trait on down to all of his sons who were all lovers of good horses. On one occasion W.J. Henderson brought a horse to trade it to James Edward. The horse had one leg that was crooked. Henderson didn't think James Edward would notice the crooked leg. As they met, Henderson began to say what a fine horse it was by bragging on the horse, by telling all the good qualities of the horse while James Edward just listened. When Henderson quit talking he said, "If you will let me take my ax and chop off the crooked leg and let me put a straight one back on, I would trade for the horse!" Being a good judge of horses he was not fooled and the trade was not made.

James Edward was 5 feet 6 inches tall. He weighed 200 lbs, had blue eyes and black hair. In later years his hair went gray or white and he reached 220 lbs. Farming and cattle raising were his specialties.

He died at the early age of 57 years on April 3, 1908, of a stroke. He was buried beside his first wife who preceded him in death.

Elizabeth Jennett was a widow for forty one years. She died February 21, 1949 and was buried on the other side of James Edward in the Henrieville Cemetery.